Drive systems for hybrid vehicles may include an engine, an electric motor, a clutch disposed in a power transmitting path between the engine and the electric motor, and an inverter for supplying electric energy from an electric energy storage device to the electric motor. In the drive system of these types of hybrid vehicles, it is required to discharge an electric load stored in a smoothing capacitor of the inverter upon collision of the hybrid vehicle. A technique for meeting this requirement has been proposed. Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a vehicle control apparatus embodying this technique.